Painter. Nothing else: you shall see him a palm in Athens
again, and flourish with the highest. Therefore
2270'tis not amiss we tender our loves to him, in this
supposed distress of his: it will show honestly in
us; and is very likely to load our purposes with
what they travail for, if it be a just true report
that goes of his having.
2275

Painter. Nothing at this time but my visitation: only I will
promise him an excellent piece.

Poet. I must serve him so too, tell him of an intent
that's coming toward him.
2280

Painter. Good as the best. Promising is the very air o' the
time: it opens the eyes of expectation:
performance is ever the duller for his act; and,
but in the plainer and simpler kind of people, the
deed of saying is quite out of use. To promise is
2285most courtly and fashionable: performance is a kind
of will or testament which argues a great sickness
in his judgment that makes it.

[TIMON comes from his cave, behind]

Timon. [Aside] Excellent workman! thou canst not paint a
2290man so bad as is thyself.

Poet. I am thinking what I shall say I have provided for
him: it must be a personating of himself; a satire
against the softness of prosperity, with a discovery
of the infinite flatteries that follow youth and opulency.
2295

Timon. [Aside] Must thou needs stand for a villain in
thine own work? wilt thou whip thine own faults in
other men? Do so, I have gold for thee.

Poet. Nay, let's seek him:
Then do we sin against our own estate,
2300When we may profit meet, and come too late.

Painter. True;
When the day serves, before black-corner'd night,
Find what thou want'st by free and offer'd light. Come.

Timon. [Aside] I'll meet you at the turn. What a
2305god's gold,
That he is worshipp'd in a baser temple
Than where swine feed!
'Tis thou that rigg'st the bark and plough'st the foam,
Settlest admired reverence in a slave:
2310To thee be worship! and thy saints for aye
Be crown'd with plagues that thee alone obey!
Fit I meet them.

Poet. Sir,
Having often of your open bounty tasted,
Hearing you were retired, your friends fall'n off,
2320Whose thankless natures—O abhorred spirits!—
Not all the whips of heaven are large enough:
What! to you,
Whose star-like nobleness gave life and influence
To their whole being! I am rapt and cannot cover
2325The monstrous bulk of this ingratitude
With any size of words.

Timon. Let it go naked, men may see't the better:
You that are honest, by being what you are,
Make them best seen and known.
2330

Painter. He and myself
Have travail'd in the great shower of your gifts,
And sweetly felt it.

Timon. E'en so, sir, as I say. And, for thy fiction,
Why, thy verse swells with stuff so fine and smooth
That thou art even natural in thine art.
But, for all this, my honest-natured friends,
2350I must needs say you have a little fault:
Marry, 'tis not monstrous in you, neither wish I
You take much pains to mend.

Timon. Look you, I love you well; I'll give you gold,
Rid me these villains from your companies:
2370Hang them or stab them, drown them in a draught,
Confound them by some course, and come to me,
I'll give you gold enough.

Timon. You that way and you this, but two in company;
2375Each man apart, all single and alone,
Yet an arch-villain keeps him company.
If where thou art two villains shall not be,
Come not near him. If thou wouldst not reside
But where one villain is, then him abandon.
2380Hence, pack! there's gold; you came for gold, ye slaves:
[To Painter]You have work'd for me; there's payment for you: hence!
[To Poet]You are an alchemist; make gold of that.
2385Out, rascal dogs!

[Beats them out, and then retires to his cave]

[Enter FLAVIUS and two Senators]

Flavius. It is in vain that you would speak with Timon;
For he is set so only to himself
2390That nothing but himself which looks like man
Is friendly with him.

First Senator. Bring us to his cave:
It is our part and promise to the Athenians
To speak with Timon.
2395

Second Senator. At all times alike
Men are not still the same: 'twas time and griefs
That framed him thus: time, with his fairer hand,
Offering the fortunes of his former days,
The former man may make him. Bring us to him,
2400And chance it as it may.

Flavius. Here is his cave.
Peace and content be here! Lord Timon! Timon!
Look out, and speak to friends: the Athenians,
By two of their most reverend senate, greet thee:
2405Speak to them, noble Timon.

[TIMON comes from his cave]

Timon. Thou sun, that comfort'st, burn! Speak, and
be hang'd:
For each true word, a blister! and each false
2410Be as cauterizing to the root o' the tongue,
Consuming it with speaking!

Timon. I thank them; and would send them back the plague,
Could I but catch it for them.

First Senator. O, forget
What we are sorry for ourselves in thee.
The senators with one consent of love
2420Entreat thee back to Athens; who have thought
On special dignities, which vacant lie
For thy best use and wearing.

Second Senator. They confess
Toward thee forgetfulness too general, gross:
2425Which now the public body, which doth seldom
Play the recanter, feeling in itself
A lack of Timon's aid, hath sense withal
Of its own fail, restraining aid to Timon;
And send forth us, to make their sorrow'd render,
2430Together with a recompense more fruitful
Than their offence can weigh down by the dram;
Ay, even such heaps and sums of love and wealth
As shall to thee blot out what wrongs were theirs
And write in thee the figures of their love,
2435Ever to read them thine.

Timon. You witch me in it;
Surprise me to the very brink of tears:
Lend me a fool's heart and a woman's eyes,
And I'll beweep these comforts, worthy senators.
2440

First Senator. Therefore, so please thee to return with us
And of our Athens, thine and ours, to take
The captainship, thou shalt be met with thanks,
Allow'd with absolute power and thy good name
Live with authority: so soon we shall drive back
2445Of Alcibiades the approaches wild,
Who, like a boar too savage, doth root up
His country's peace.

Second Senator. And shakes his threatening sword
Against the walls of Athens.
2450

Timon. Well, sir, I will; therefore, I will, sir; thus:
If Alcibiades kill my countrymen,
Let Alcibiades know this of Timon,
That Timon cares not. But if be sack fair Athens,
2455And take our goodly aged men by the beards,
Giving our holy virgins to the stain
Of contumelious, beastly, mad-brain'd war,
Then let him know, and tell him Timon speaks it,
In pity of our aged and our youth,
2460I cannot choose but tell him, that I care not,
And let him take't at worst; for their knives care not,
While you have throats to answer: for myself,
There's not a whittle in the unruly camp
But I do prize it at my love before
2465The reverend'st throat in Athens. So I leave you
To the protection of the prosperous gods,
As thieves to keepers.

Timon. Why, I was writing of my epitaph;
2470it will be seen to-morrow: my long sickness
Of health and living now begins to mend,
And nothing brings me all things. Go, live still;
Be Alcibiades your plague, you his,
And last so long enough!
2475

First Senator. These words become your lips as they pass
thorough them.

Second Senator. And enter in our ears like great triumphers
In their applauding gates.
2485

Timon. Commend me to them,
And tell them that, to ease them of their griefs,
Their fears of hostile strokes, their aches, losses,
Their pangs of love, with other incident throes
That nature's fragile vessel doth sustain
2490In life's uncertain voyage, I will some kindness do them:
I'll teach them to prevent wild Alcibiades' wrath.

Timon. I have a tree, which grows here in my close,
That mine own use invites me to cut down,
2495And shortly must I fell it: tell my friends,
Tell Athens, in the sequence of degree
From high to low throughout, that whoso please
To stop affliction, let him take his haste,
Come hither, ere my tree hath felt the axe,
2500And hang himself. I pray you, do my greeting.

Timon. Come not to me again: but say to Athens,
Timon hath made his everlasting mansion
Upon the beached verge of the salt flood;
2505Who once a day with his embossed froth
The turbulent surge shall cover: thither come,
And let my grave-stone be your oracle.
Lips, let sour words go by and language end:
What is amiss plague and infection mend!
2510Graves only be men's works and death their gain!
Sun, hide thy beams! Timon hath done his reign.

[Retires to his cave]

First Senator. His discontents are unremoveably
Coupled to nature.
2515

Second Senator. Our hope in him is dead: let us return,
And strain what other means is left unto us
In our dear peril.